Indigenous Culture in Brazil

Xingu is probably one of the few places in the world where native indigenous people can still be found living according to their traditional culture.

Located in the center of Brazil, in the state of Mato Grosso, the Xingu Reservation stands almost like an independent country, with its own rules and principles, gathering 14 different ethnic groups with a total of 5,000 people. With an area the size of Belgium covered with virgin forests and snake-like rivers, Xingu struggles against the growing invasion of soy, cattle, and lumbering.

It was in this lost paradise that I landed, invited to film the most important ritual of all times for the Xingu Indians -- the "Kuarup," in honor of Orlando Villas Boas. Orlando was the last of the three Caucasian brothers who battled to create a reservation in the 50s that assured the health and rights of these people for over 50 years.

Highly opposed and criticized in those days by anthropologists, the Villas Boas dared to place together in the same territory tribes that were enemies, and stimulated intermarriage among them. Today Xingu stands as an example to the rest of the world of one of the few initiatives that was successful in keeping indigenous culture alive. Tribes that were on the brink of becoming extinguished, with as few as 12 people remaining, have grown to include up to 400 strong and healthy people.

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